"All Aboard" the Wooden Train Track and Track Connector History Tour

Summary: Experience a journey back into wooden train track history, and the varied connectors that held it all together.

Over 75 years of track making exists in the United States. Other wooden train track industry leaders have made their mark from overseas – like BRIO in Sweden, and Maxim Enterprises in China. There are many companies involved in making the train track business what it is today, though below profiles some key players.

Skaneateles Handcrafters

Marshall H. Larrabee of Skaneateles, New York began carving wooden trains as a hobby while recovering from tuberculosis in the 1930’s. Marshall Field Company picked up his products and Skaneateles Handcrafters was borne. Some of his wooden trains and tracks were patented soon after and eventually, Skaneateles Handcrafters began manufacturing wooden train track sets for toy conglomerates like Playskool.

Jack-Built Snap Trains

Based out of California, Jack-Built filed a patent for their snap-style couplers in 1958. The snap connectors increased track flexibility and held together well. Despite being well-made and popular with educators, the company’s name disappeared from the toy industry in the mid 1960’s.

Learning Curve

Makers of the Thomas track in the US, Learning Curve has taken the wooden train track scene by storm. A relative new kid on the block started in 1993 by Jon W. Lee, the company’s original wooden track came with grooves tooled into the wood perpendicular to the track causing a “clickety clack” sound as the trains rolled over the pieces. Learning Curve’s most recent track pieces no longer have grooves, but a burnt-in railway tie graphic and a raised waffle pattern along the railway track to help battery operated engines grip better.

Connector’s of Old

A variety of wooden train track connector pieces have hooked tracks together throughout the years:

1930’s – The first were pin-method connectors where a pin was inserted through matching slats in the male and female ends.

1940’s – Next came wooden grommet-style connectors which relied on pressure to keep the tracks together.

1950’s – The snap design from Jack-Built arrives late in the decade, but disappears soon after.

1960’s – Rubber grommet-style pressure connectors replace the wooden grommets.

1980’s – Wooden “lollipop”-shaped connectors came on the scene.

1990’s – Plastic ball connectors get in on the action.

One thing time hasn’t changed is the love children have for wooden train track sets and the endless hours of fun tracks have provided for generations past with many more to come.

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